Making the Best of the Rest of the Summer
It’s getting close to the end of summer, and the corn, tomatoes, and zucchini are coming in fast and furious. My local farmer has so much zucchini that when we go to pick up our farmshares, we are invited to take as much of that as we’d like.
Here are some recipes from our archives you might find useful this time of year:
- Lee White’s summer vegetable gratin
- This column includes links to creamy lemon zucchini pasta, zucchini granola scotchies, a special zucchini bread, and a recipe for zucchini relish, along with a tip on how to freeze zuke that you can’t use right away.
- Lee White’s recipes for roasted tomato sauce
- Two more tomato recipes from Lee
- A recipe for Food Truck Corn Salad
- And this article on late summer produce that includes a recipe for zucchini fritters with a raw tomato sauce
I recently got an email from the Jacques Pépin Foundation (JPF) with an admonishment in the subject line: “Eat Your Vegetables.” Included in this email was a link to a zucchini salad recipe from Isaac Mizrahi. Best known for his fashion designs, the guy also knows his way around the kitchen.
His salad includes thinly sliced zucchini, topped with olive oil, juice from half a lemon, a dash of champagne vinegar, a handful of finely chopped mint leaves, red onions that have been quickly blanched and then plunged into a cold water bath, and a sprinkle of pistachios that have been toasted and chopped.
Another recipe on the JPF website that takes full advantage of late summer goodness is for a corn, tomato, zucchini soup from Barbara Sibley. Hers calls for squash blossoms, which aren’t always available this time of year. But with a few switch-ups, it makes a soup that will delight both you and your friends on one of those nights that reminds you fall is coming.
Mizrahi says in his JPF video that, all his expertise in fashion notwithstanding, he thinks “Food is the most important subject for humans. It’s sustenance. It’s what keeps us alive.” He also says of JPF, which supports community-based culinary training for people recovering from homelessness, incarceration, and substance abuse, that you “can’t have a more noble purpose on earth.” I agree, and here’s how you can find out more and become a member: https://jp.foundation/
Sopa de Milpa
Adapted from a recipe from Barbara Sibley
On jp.foundation
Note: Sibley removes the corn kernels from the stalk, and then makes the corn kernal puree by taking the stalks and removing the remaining corn on a box grater. You can then make corn stock by throwing the stalks into simmering water, along with the onion and garlic scraps.
Ingredients
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- ½ cup sweet onion, cut into ½-inch dice
- 2 to 3 tomatoes, seeded and diced
- 1 to 2 cup zucchini, cut into ½-inch dice
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 cups fresh corn kernels
- 1 cup fresh corn kernels purée
- 2 dozen squash blossoms, stems trimmed, and blossoms coarsely chopped
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme
- 1 tablespoon ancho chili powder, or chili powder of your choice
- 1 to 2 teaspoons freshly ground white or black pepper
- 2 quarts corn stock
- Salt to taste
Optional: 2 dozen squash blossoms, stems trimmed, and blossoms coarsely chopped; 1 cup crema, for garnish; 3 tablespoons chopped cilantro; 3 epazote leaves, for garnish.
Method
Heat a 4-quart stock pot over medium-high heat. Add the olive oil, onion and garlic and cook about 2 minutes, being careful not to brown it. Add the squash and corn kernels and continue to cookabout 2-4 minutes. Add the stock, puréed corn, thyme, marjoram, and pepper, and simmer, stirring until the corn and squash are cooked, but not too tender. Remove from the heat, taste and adjust seasoning.
To serve: Spoon the soup into bowls. If desired, garnish with squash blossoms, crema, cilantro, and epazote. Serve immediately.
